


Heartless

by Mechrophile



Category: Borderlands (Video Games)
Genre: Angel's mom is dead, Athena and Janey are mentioned tho, Implied/Referenced Rape/Non-con, Inspired by Law & Order: SVU, M/M, Multi, Murder, Rhack-centric, SVU AU, Single dad jack, as are Tim and Wil
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-09-23
Updated: 2019-09-23
Packaged: 2020-10-27 03:03:41
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,516
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20753282
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Mechrophile/pseuds/Mechrophile
Summary: A truly disturbing case lands in Detective Jack Lawrence's lap. If that wasn't trouble enough, the district attorney is out, and his young assistant is filling in. Since his wife's death, Jack's taken a strict no-romance policy for his love life, but this hot little number may just shake things up.





	Heartless

**Author's Note:**

> I was inspired some time ago to write this, thanks to a SVU binge. Somehow, it got left sitting unnamed in my drafts. So it's getting posted, and I swear I'll be adding to it! I'll also be updating a couple of other fics that got left unfinished, so if you like pirate AUs and the San Junipero episode of Black Mirror, keep your eyes open for those to get updated!

It was one of the most gruesome cases Jack had seen in all his twenty years on the force. He stood in front of the case board, staring at the information he’d pinned to it. The victims, a couple of less gory photos from the crime scenes, a map with pins in all four locations the victims had been found in, and two suspects. On the table, a tablet sat with the rest of the crime scene photos. He sighed, scratching his chin and continuing to puzzle over the information.

“Hey, you ready? A.D.A.’s here.” Jack looked up to see Athena leaning against the door frame. He hadn’t even heard the door open. Behind her stood a young man with slicked-back hair, a slim-fitting dark grey suit, and a black briefcase.

“Where’s Henderson? Who the hell’s this kid?” he barked, gesturing at the newcomer. Jack had been expecting the district attorney to show up for this case. It wasn’t something he trusted a child to cut his teeth on.

The kid in question pushed past Athena and strode up to Jack with a bright smile and an extended hand. “Detective Lawrence, so good to finally meet you! I’m A.D.A. Gallagher, but since we’re going to be working closely, you can call me Rhys. I’ve heard so much about you, read over countless case files, I–”

“Yeah, yeah,” Jack cut the kid off with a scowl, “I get it, you’ve got a real hard-on for me. Look, Gallagher, you look like you’ve barely gotten your first ball hair. Where’s Saul?”

“H-he’s, um…D.A. Henderson is on vacation? On a cruise, I think,” the boy, Rhys, explained. “Detective, I know I look young, but I’ve been working alongside the D.A. for, um…f-for a couple years now. I’ve been studying case files from your unit, I can handle myself very well in court, and I am very dedicated to seeking justice for my clients. I promise you, you’re in good hands.” He gave Jack a reassuring smile, and the first thought in Jack’s head was that he wouldn’t mind being in the lawyer’s hands, maybe with his tongue down the man’s throat.

His second thought was that this case was going to be…difficult.

“Alright then, kitten, have a seat. Let’s me and you go over the evidence and you show me what a big boy you are~” Jack said, a shark’s grin spreading across his face as he pulled a chair out for the lawyer. Rhys sat down, and Jack reached for the tablet to pull up crime scene photos.

“Hey, Jack, keep it professional? We don’t need you under investigation in the middle of this,” Athena said, taking a seat opposite Rhys.

Jack rolled his eyes. “Please, he’s not my type. Too young, no knockers, and probably still a virgin. This is just a little friendly teasing.” The way Rhys’s shoulders slumped a little didn’t go unnoticed by either detective.

“Alright, kiddo, here’s the thing: we got four vics, all found in different locations on different mornings. The first three were working girls, found by garbage men, a shop owner, and a jogger, respectively. Our fourth vic, Gia Santos,” here, he pointed to the board, to the dead woman’s picture, “was found by her fiancé. Now, the crime scene photos, I’m gonna warn you, they’re disturbing. Even I’ve got chills thinkin’ about what these girls went through. You sure you can handle it?”

Rhys nodded. “I’ve read past cases, I’ve seen a lot. I’ll be fine.” Jack scoffed, then handed the tablet to the younger man.

“Just swipe left like you’re cruising through bad Tindr profiles, cupcake.”

Athena rolled her eyes. Jack shot her a grin, then looked back at the kid. His brows were furrowed and he already had a hand over his mouth. “Told ya, pumpkin~ These guys are real sickos. Raped the girls, then went to work cutting out their privates. Coroner confirmed that the cause of death for all four was exsanguination. These girls were alive for the whole affair.”

“W-what, uh…” The lawyer swallowed thickly, clearly having trouble keeping his lunch down. “What about the suspects?” he asked, looking up from the tablet.

“Two med school students, Rory James and Ravinder Kapoor. James’s prints were found on a beer bottle near the second vic, Alycia Jenkins. Santos’s fiancé, Reggie Carpenter, said he saw James and Kapoor leaving the scene shortly after he found her. Didn’t give chase because he was attempting to revive Miss Santos.” Jack leaned over to swipe to the next photo, revealing the fourth victim. “Miss Santos’s heart was on the outside of her chest when Mister Carpenter arrived, so I’m not sure what he thought he could accomplish, other than tampering with a crime scene.”

“And how does the fiancé know the suspects?” Rhys asked, raising a brow at Jack. “Have you brought them in yet? What are they saying?”

Jack rolled his eyes. “Carpenter’s their classmate. James and Kapoor say they’re innocent, keep tellin’ me I got the wrong guys, that I need to bring in Carpenter. Bunch'a kids tryin’ to tell me how to do my friggin’ job…”

“Well, maybe they’re telling the truth? Is there some kind of rivalry? What’s the real story here? I’m not bringing this to the judge until we’ve got solid proof it was James and Kapoor.” The lawyer settled back in his chair, giving Jack a challenging look. It made the detective’s blood boil. This little brat, coming into _his_ office and trying to run the show?

Jack held the tablet up, close to the lawyer’s face. “Does that look like something a fiancé would do?! Her heart’s literally ripped out! Her whole reproductive system is missing!” He swiped to the next photo, a close up of the dead woman’s lower half. “We have prints from past crime scenes. We have a witness that identified the suspects without doubt. And when we find the missing body parts and we test for DNA, I bet you anything it’s gonna be from those two!”

Apparently, it was too much for the younger man. Rhys stood and pushed past Jack, covering his mouth as he made a beeline for the men’s room. Athena scowled at Jack and pointed after the kid. “That’s your mess, Lawrence. Go clean it up.”

Rolling his eyes, Jack turned and headed to the men’s room. He pushed the door open quietly, a tiny pang of guilt hitting him when he saw the young man still heaving over the toilet. “Hey, kiddo, look…I’m sorry about, uh…pushing you,” he said as he took a few paper towels and wet them with cold water. “We’re used to Henderson, and while he may not be the most upstanding attorney, he’s used to the kinds of cases we handle. Nothing phases the guy. I guess I shouldn’t expect the same from some kid fresh outta law school, huh?”

Rhys lifted his head to glare at Jack, but the intended effect was dampened by the kid’s pale complexion and the bile clinging to his lips and chin. Jack handed the wet paper towels over. He quickly wiped his mouth off, sneering as he dropped the towels in the toilet, “I’m not a kid. I’m twenty-seven. And I’ve been working with the D.A.’s office for a couple of years. I can handle myself, it’s just that you were being an asshole because you can’t get your way this time.”

“Ooh, kitten’s got claws!” Jack cooed. “If you’re gonna work with me on this case, you’re gonna need to grow a pair, all right? I can’t be playing daddy every time shit gets too real for you.” Rhys rolled his eyes, but before he could respond, Jack reached out to help him up and changed the topic. “Let’s go get you a soda to chase that nasty taste outta your mouth.”

He led Rhys out of the bathroom and over to the soda machine, pulling his wallet out and plucking a crisp dollar bill from inside. “C'mon, tell daddy what you want, Rhysie~”

“Sprite. And you shouldn’t refer to yourself as ‘daddy’ unless you plan to bend me over and punish me for being a bad boy~” Rhys answered with a cocky grin. Jack stared for a moment, dumbfounded.

Then it hit him. The perfect plan. A way to either humiliate the kid, or get over whatever it was his dick thought it wanted without feeling too guilty. “Tell you what, princess: If you’re right about the fiancé killing Miss Santos, I’ll take you out for a nice dinner. If you’re wrong, you never pick up a case with my unit again. Sound fair?”

Rhys shrugged, then took a sip of his soda as he thought it over. “I can’t really tell Henderson that I’m not gonna do my job. But I suppose he’d understand if I never wanted to work with you~” He smirked, and Jack scowled. “Pro tip, though? I really enjoy those _long, hard_ cases~” Ohh, this kid was definitely trouble…

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks a ton for reading! Let me know what you think.


End file.
